How Technology Has Affected Our Etiquette

I read this interesting article from the New York Times the other day. It dealt with our online etiquette and how it has changed over the years. What fascinated me most about this article was the validity of the author’s main point. He stated that most people have less patience when it comes to receiving thank-you emails, texts, or requests for information easily found on Google.

When email first started becoming the normal communication medium for businesses, it was customary to send a thank-you email, or even an “I got your email” email. Nowadays, it appears more people are becoming increasingly frustrated by these types of emails. According to Baratunde Thurston, co-founder of Cultivated Wit, he has seen “decreasing amounts of tolerance for unnecessary communication because it is a burden and a cost.” In a world where time is money and everyone is scrambling to get more of both, unnecessary communication is becoming more of a hindrance, rather than a rule of etiquette.

This annoyance is not just with email however. It carries over into voicemail and simple requests easily answered by Google. A few years ago, when someone left you a voicemail you generally listened to it without a moment’s hesitation or pause. There was no annoyance, but rather a curiosity as to who left you the voicemail in the first place and the urgency of the message. Now, according to the article in the New York Times, people are frustrated when you leave them a voicemail. The author states that the reason for this is because so many people are attached to their mobile devices, and it is so much easier to send a text rather than leave a voicemail that you have to listen to. This process is considered time consuming.

Then there’s Google. I have found this to be particularly true, that when someone asks me what the weather is, I find myself annoyed. There are times I don’t know what the weather is going to be and I have to look it up on my phone anyway. So, in my head I’m wondering why they didn’t just look it up in the first place. Then again, there is something to be said of human interaction. After all, it is true what they say, that you can’t trust everything you read on the Internet. In the case of checking weather however, I think as a general rule you are safe with what you see online.

While this article has some key points, there are still some people that prefer to talk to you on the phone rather than through text, who want to ask you personally about something, or who still insist on sending you a thank-you email. So, what do you do?

In any given situation, it is always best to know your audience. Also, keep in mind the context of the situation. For example, if you want to know someone’s schedule for the week, a text is probably not the most efficient way to ask for this information. Giving them a call, or even letting them respond via email will not only please your audience, but you are likely to get the information you are searching for quicker. It is much faster to talk on the phone or type on the computer than it is to text, so most people would prefer these communication mediums when asking complex questions. For simple notes, such as telling someone you are on your way to the meeting, a text is sufficient.

All in all, you want to make sure you understand the audience and the situation when deciding how to contact someone. You also want to keep in mind the evolving technologies and how people are using them. Say for instance, video communication. If you see an upward trend in the amount of video conferencing, chances are more people will prefer this communication (just giving an example).

Well that is all for this week. What do you guys think? Are you annoyed by simple emails, voicemails, and simple questions? Or do you think that this type of etiquette should still be in use regularly?

Let me know your thoughts below, and as always, I thank you for listening.

Until next time,

Julie

 

Sources:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/etiquette-redefined-in-the-digital-age/

Working From Home: Is this Good or Bad for Companies?

Lately, I have been hearing about more and more employees working remotely (from home) at least one day a week. This is a trend that has grown pretty steadily in the last 10 years, and research indicates the number of remote workers will only continue to rise.

So why the sudden debate over this trend’s impact on productivity and company costs? The recent media coverage of this can probably be attributed to Yahoo’s change in policy. A few weeks ago, Marissa Mayer, Yahoo Inc. CEO, announced she will be abolishing Yahoo’s age old work from home arrangements. Mayer believes that employees are more productive when they work together and are better able to bounce ideas off each other, something remote workers don’t experience.

For some companies, having employees report to the office makes sense, such as in Yahoo’s case. Many of their full-time employees who worked remotely “did little work” and some even started their own companies on the side. This is not to say that workers can never work from home if they need to, such as if a child is sick, but Yahoo’s ban is on full-time remote employees.

There are arguments both for and against home-based workers, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Many employers worry that employees who stay at home dawdle in their pajamas all day, and research suggests that workers who work from home at least one day a week are more likely to use Mondays or Fridays as their days to stay home, extending their weekend. Having employees in the office increases the chance they will be productive, but also increases costs in the form of real estate. Requiring workers to be in the office also requires said employees to have an office space in which to work.

Conversely, research has suggested that productivity is higher for companies who allow their workers to work from home at least once a week.  A study by Stanford University and Beijing University discovered that Chinese call-center workers used their time more efficiently and took fewer breaks, if they were allowed to stay home. Also, stay-at-home workers don’t require an office, and that can cut down on real estate costs.

The industries that have seen the most dramatic shift in home workers include management, business, and finance. In these industries, 1 in 4 employees work from home, and almost half are self-employed. Even government has seen a shift in home-based workers, particularly state governments. The biggest shift however is in the computer, engineering, and science fields. The amount of home-based workers has increased by 70% in 10 years (from 2000 to 2010).

While there is still debate about productivity and costs, Cisco conducted a study in 2008 that revealed Americans who work from home are happier. Whether this is because they don’t have to commute, or the idea of working from home alludes to flexibility, working from home does seem to have its advantages.

What do you guys think? Should companies allow their workers to work from home once a week, or should employees always be required to be on-site? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks!

Julie

 

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2013/03/06/yahoo-work-from-home-ban/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324539404578342503214110478.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 

Are We Addicted To Our Smartphones?

Hello again everyone! I realize that the last few posts have been about mobile devices, but this trend isn’t going away; in fact, it is steadily growing. It is becoming ever more imperative that businesses understand consumer behavior and how this behavior influences the economy.

More and more, consumers are using their smartphones for everyday, menial tasks. Things that all used to be separated by different technologies are all coming together in that small device we carry everywhere. I started to think, how often do I use my smartphone, and what for? The list is increasingly long, and has grown immensely just over the past year.

I must admit, it took me a while to climb aboard the smartphone train. My first “smartphone” was a Sprint LG Optimus, and I thought that was wonderful. And at the time it was, for a few months. But then I started to hear all my friends talk about their amazing iPhones and how they have an app for this and an app for that. I must admit I was jealous! Games that I could only play if I deleted all other apps from my phone my friends could play continuously while still keeping all their other apps.  

When I finally got my brand new iPhone 5, I was hooked! The first day I think I downloaded over 20 apps just because I could. Now, I can’t imagine not using at least half of those apps on a daily basis. I know I would not be able to make it on time to work every morning without my alarm clock app. I am constantly logging in to MyFitnessPal to monitor my exercise and calorie intake. And then there’s social media, which is a whole other beast.

The more I begin to think of my smartphone usage, the more I realize that in today’s society, consumers are addicted to their smartphones. I have found that even when I am hanging out with friends, there is always some point in the night were we are all on our smartphones. With all this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that yes, we are addicted to our smartphones.

Recently, Apigee, an API Company, performed a Mobile App Behavior Survey. This survey measured users’ mobile behavior in the U.S., Germany, UK, France, and Spain.  Spain turned out to be the most addicted, and 82% of those surveyed stated they couldn’t go without certain apps for even a day, ranking email, Facebook, and Alarm & Clock as the most critical.

So what does this data tell us? No matter if you are in the B2B market, or B2C, the rapid growth of the mobile industry is something every business owner should monitor and understand. Consumers are using their phones to purchase items, look up information, and in essence, find your business. As a business owner, you need to keep this in mind when marketing and promoting your business. The age-old methods are showing to be ineffective, and in this generation, you can either jump on the bandwagon or get left in the dust.

Are you addicted to your smartphone? What are some of the apps you can’t go a day without? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks and I hope you all have a great week!

Until next time,

Julie

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2013/02/26/smartphone-users-giving-up-mobile-apps/

 

Mobile Website Development: Why the World is Going Mobile

As the world becomes further driven by technology, the ongoing trend seems to be that everything is going mobile.  Every day there are new apps being developed to help you exercise, organize, or cook, and they are all at your fingertips in that small handheld device most users couldn’t go a day without. Cell phones are not just for communicating anymore, they serve a much bigger need than that. Just think about how much you use your phone on a daily basis. Here’s an example scenario:

You invite your friend over to your house so you can both decide on where to go for dinner and take one car. She gets there, and you both are drawing a blank. You are doing the whole, “look up to the ceiling to try to figure out where there is to eat and go down every street in town in your head.” You then both decide to just look it up on Urbanspoon.com. Odds are, you have used your mobile phone to perform this task.

I am guilty of this too. I could even have my laptop sitting right beside me, and I will still look up information on my phone. This is because my phone is always attached at my hip, it’s smaller, and it’s portable. I can drive while my friend looks up directions, numbers, etc. on her mobile phone. And think about the Urbanspoon website for a minute.  If you look this up on your phone (or even have the app), it is easy to navigate, simple to understand, and you can get all the information you need with just a tap of your finger on the screen. The reason for this is Urbanspoon has made sure their website is mobile-compatible.

Mobile-compatibility means having a website that can be viewed on mobile devices and not take away from the overall message.  Continuing with the Urbanspoon example, on the left you can see Urbanspoon.com pulled up on a regular PC. On the right is the mobile version. While not as visually appealing, the mobile version still has all the necessary information the user could want, and the screen is clear and legible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As a business owner, it is crucial to have your website compatible with mobile devices. Users are constantly on-the-go. If they need to find your contact information, but your site is difficult to navigate on a mobile device, the user will most likely give up. In general, you have a 3 second window to capture your audience’s attention, and for mobile users this is extremely true. Consumers expect websites to perform as well or even better on their mobile devices.

Not all mobile websites have to look like the Urbanspoon example, but what is important to note is that mobile users aren’t looking for bright colors or eye-catching images. They want information as fast as they can get it, so keep it simple and clean. Whether you have been in business for a while or are just starting out, it is imperative your website is mobile-compatible, or you could get lost in the shuffle.

Over the past few months CTSI has been working to help clients develop their mobile websites, and feel free to download our brochure here for more information.

That’s all for this week everyone, and let me know any comments or questions you guys have in the comments below!

 

Thanks for listening!

Julie

 

Toll Fraud: What You Need to Know About This Latest Scam

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, so do the hackers who monitor the industry. There is always a new threat to consider, and toll fraud is no different.  This is a growing threat, one that could go unnoticed by consumers if they are not made aware of the warning signs and precautions.

So, what is toll fraud? In a nutshell, toll fraud is an increasingly common form of malware aimed at mobile devices.  What exactly is the threat? The cyber criminals who use this method are stealing small amounts of money from users, and that money is coming directly out of your pocket by showing up on your phone bill in the form of a charge fee. This charge can go unnoticed if you aren’t inspecting your phone bill each month so you can understand where each charge came from.

I will explain how this whole process works, but first I want to explain specifically what malware is and how it works. Malware is short for malicious software, and Wikipedia defines it as, “software used or created by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.” Malware can be anything from a small computer virus to a Trojan horse. Hackers use this software to find personal information, generally in order to make a profit. The toll fraud scam is no different.

So how do hackers end up getting your money, and disguising it as a charge on your cell phone bill? Meghan Kelly from VentureBeat describes the process like this: "You know those commercials that say, "Text 555555 to get a new ringtone every day!"? When you text to that number, a trusted chain of about five steps happens:

1.       A customer texts the number, alerting an aggregator — working for the ringtone provider — that he wants to order daily ringtones.

2.       Through the aggregator, the ringtone provider sends a confirmation text message to the customer (or sometimes two depending on that country’s regulations) to the customer.

3.       That customer approves the charges and starts getting ringtones.

4.       The customer is billed through his wireless carrier.

5.       The wireless carrier receives payment and sends out the ringtone payment to the provider.

 

Make sense? Here’s how the malware, notably the most popular form called FakeInst, works:

1.       A customer downloads an app that sends out an SMS message to that same ringtone provider.

2.       The ringtone provider sends the confirmation message, but instead of reaching the smartphone owner, the malware blocks and confirms the text message before the user ever knows.

3.       The malware writers further jump in between the wireless carrier and the ringtone provider, pretending to be an aggregator, and collect the money you just paid through your bill.”

Nervous? I wouldn’t blame you. Once I started learning about this, I began to wonder if I had fallen victim to this scam. I fully intend to look over my next phone bill with a magnifying glass to ensure I don’t pay any unnecessary charges.

This scam primarily attacks Android devices because these devices can download apps from anywhere, whereas iOS devices can only use the Apple App Store to purchase apps. This is not to say that iPhones are not vulnerable, but Androids are the far more likely candidate.

This problem only seems to be getting worse, and Lookout Mobile, a security company, quotes some alarming statistics. Lookout estimates that, “From the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2013, a total of 18 million users of Android devices might encounter malware, and about 72% of the malware found in 2012 was toll fraud.”

This is definitely something to keep in mind and be watchful of. You should always check any bill you get to make sure the proper charges are in place, but with this new scam it is even more imperative that you fully inspect your phone bill. It also wouldn’t hurt to be mindful of apps that say, “Text this number to get a talking kitty to send to your friends.” There are some legitimate ones out there, but do some research on the service provider before you commit. These are just some of the ways you can protect yourself from malware attackers.

That is all I have for this week, and as always I am open to any questions or discussions you guys want to have. Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

Julie

 

Sources:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/lookout-toll-fraud/

http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/06/toll-fraud-lookout-mobile/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware

The New Facebook: What You Need To Know About Graph Search

Today I want to talk about the Facebook Graph Search Tool. I have officially been taken off the waiting list, and have been able to test it out. For the past few days, I have merely been using it look for friends or events; pretty much the normal everyday things I use the search tool for. This week though, I have decided to see what the new Graph Search Tool is all about. I decided to do a test run, and type in the search bar, “My friends who work in Dallas, Texas.”  Sure enough, up comes a list of all my friends on Facebook who work, or have worked in Dallas (I figured I would try Dallas since I don’t live there).

As I continued to explore this new tool, something I found interesting is you can find what restaurants are near to you from your current location. You can even refine this search to just say Lubbock, TX.  I started wondering however, how does Facebook know what restaurants are close to me? After some digging (and believe me it wasn’t a real obvious find), I realized that Facebook, like so many other sites, mark what device you accessed the site from and where. I have attached a screen-shot here, and circled in red is where you can find information about your active sessions.

 

Now, before you become alarmed, note that you can end the activity, although that doesn’t necessarily mean Facebook will stop seeing where you accessed the site from. This is a normal procedure used by almost every company around the world with a website, and since Facebook is a social platform, it’s only natural they would track this information. That is not my focus in this article today however. I mostly wanted to explore the new Facebook search tool to see if it’s something that can be useful. But, if you are interested in protecting your online privacy, and only want your friends to search for information concerning you, here is a link to a great article that shows what you can do: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/technology/personaltech/protecting-your-privacy-on-the-new-facebook.html?ref=technology.

I think for now, the tool is a good start. One of the main things Facebook will have to worry about is users concerned about their privacy. However, if Facebook wants to be the primary source of information rather than Google, the tool will have to be improved. For instance, when typing into the search bar, “2013 Lubbock, TX events,” it sent me to a web search. While that is a lot like Google, what I would like to see, and I think many consumers would as well, would be results that specifically tie into Facebook. For instance, if Lubbock is having a 5K in support of a great cause, I want to know, especially because this should be public information. Now yes, if you get invited to the event, then of course you can see it. But what about those public events that sometimes get lost in the maze of the news feed? That awesome 5k that is supposed to be public could get lost, and unless there is a personal invite or one of your friends is going, it’s hard to find.

I think ultimately, this tool has a way to go before it is used as a primary search engine, but I think it is definitely a good start. You can even see music your friends like and games they like to play, which further builds upon the community feel Facebook provides consumers. From a business standpoint, this tool can be very beneficial. For instance, you could look up, “Friends attending Chamber Events,” and connect with them at the event.  I think this tool has some potential, and feedback is going to be Facebook’s best friend. That is why there is a waiting list, so the few brave guinea pigs can test it out and give feedback, which is certainly what I will be doing.

I will keep you all updated on this process, and if any of you have had the chance to try it out, let me know what you think!  If you want to sign up for the waiting list, click this link: https://www.facebook.com/ctsinet?ref=hl#!/about/graphsearch and scroll to the very bottom of the page. I am available for any questions you guys have, and until next time!

Julie

Google Causes Roadblock for Governments Seeking User Information

There have been numerous articles in the news lately about privacy issues, user information, and what rights government authorities are granted when searching for private user information.  One of the first blog articles I wrote discussed this very issue in regards to text messages, and it seems user privacy online has moved into the spotlight.

Now Google has released a statement saying they are going to make it more difficult for governments to access the data Google has collected, including emails, without a judge approved warrant. Currently, it is relatively easy for the government to take a look at your emails, as long as they are less than 180 days old. The law even states that police do not need a warrant for access to these emails, and unfortunately, email messages have less protection than printed paper messages. Hard copy printing has been around since the mid-1400s, so naturally laws have evolved and changed over the centuries to accommodate this. Emails on the other hand, were not developed until the 1970s, and were only adopted into modern culture in the late 1980s to early 1990s. This could explain why email privacy has taken so long to come to the forefront when discussing user security.

 According to statistics, requests for information have more than doubled in the last 3 years, up 70%. The vast majority of these requests are subpoenas, and these do not need a judge’s approval. The problem with subpoenas is they have a very broad scope. The law thinks that a subpoena is enough to ask for “detailed personal data,” which Google argues is incorrect. Google is fighting this by asking for search warrants if the government wants this personal user data, which does not include name, location, phone number and time an email was sent.  Google has been more transparent in the last few years about what information the government has been requesting, and has only handed over two-thirds of the information authorities have asked for.

Now that Google has made the process more difficult for law enforcement, other online companies are following suit, such as Twitter. This is a relief to users who want to ensure their data is protected and only obtained lawfully. Congress is said to be reviewing proposed amendments to the 1986 law sometime this year.

What do you guys think? Is Google right to challenge the government’s right to user data, or should there be an exception made for those in law enforcement? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

Julie Heinrich

 

Sources: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/google-says-electronic-snooping-by-governments-should-be-more-difficult/

http://allthingsd.com/20130128/twitter-google-get-more-transparent-with-information-requests/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press